With warmer months arriving and a spring in our step, many Kiwis take closer inspection of home matters and get stuck into renovations and repairs – they don’t call it the Silly Season for nothing!

However, if you’re in the throws of a bathroom demo or about to begin – complete with new tap and bathroom wares – or you’re planning on entertaining a house full of guests these summer holidays. Now’s the best time to think about what lies behind your wall or in the ceiling – before you take hand to hammer.

A hot water cylinder upgrade from low to mains pressure serves multiple purposes. Not only will your fancy new tapware work more efficiently, it will provide faster flow of hot water – no waiting around in the cold – and water will be distributed throughout the entire house at the same pressure – you can put the washing on and have a shower at the same time. Bliss!

So, how do you know if you need an upgrade? Here are a few clues:

Many older New Zealand homes – 20 years plus – will still have original low pressure hot water cylinders.

Take a look on the roof, a vent sticking out from the roof can indicate a low pressure cylinder.

No labelling on the actual cylinder is also a sign you’re operating on low. A mains pressure cylinder will typically have ‘Mains Pressure’ labelled on the outside.

Many people worry about the costs involved with upgrading to mains pressure, however the long-term savings and benefits – great for any future resale – should be enough to convince you. And, the changeover process is relatively straightforward – for the majority of jobs, we’re talking in and out in a day.

Cost estimates sit around $2,900 – $3,500 plus GST – which includes the cylinder, valves, safe tray, seismic restraint kit and includes the all-important tempering valve which is needed to comply with NZ plumbing standards.

Our Lower Hutt plumbers will:

Assess the location of your current cylinder and ensure all access and space is available for your new mains system. If additional building services are required, we can help arrange for these.

Once the all clear is sounded, we’ll disconnect and remove the old low pressure cylinder, pipes, valves and fixings.

Install new pipework – mains pressure systems require less space as their pipework diameters are much smaller than low pressure systems.

Install your new cylinder and all valves and fixings. Your cylinder will typically be a 180L or higher.

Check to ensure the pressure in the cylinder is set between 300-500 KPa.

Test your bath, kitchen and shower tapware to ensure all are fully functioning.

We’ll also remove all rubbish from site.

Don’t get caught in the cold, or stung with hefty water and power bills – pencil in that upgrade and contact Complete Plumbing Solutions. We can come to you in Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and in the Wider Wellington region.